TONYA HOWELL
Executive Director
she/her/hers
Tonya Howell, a Hyde Park resident and single-mother of two, has been an educator in Chicago since 2001. She served as a classroom teacher and instructional coach for teachers, in grades 3-6 in both Chicago Public Schools and the UChicago Charter School, during her tenure. Tonya also led the UCCS's North Kenwood/Oakland campus as their school principal. During her four years in that role, Tonya and her team accelerated learning in all core content areas, including social and emotional learning and the arts. With her experience in classroom instruction and school leadership, Tonya shifted to working directly with the Chicago Public School District's Competency-Based Learning Initiative, working to support school leaders with integrating social and emotional learning into their curricula and daily practices, impacting administrators, teachers, and students across the city. As a critical component of this work, she has regularly consulted with other educational leaders to bring equity and social justice to the forefront of the conversation. Tonya now serves as the Executive Director for Intonation Music, combining her passions for youth development, music, and community. In this role, Tonya leads the board and staff, providing accessible, high-quality, and engaging music instruction to young people on the South Side of Chicago. She works tirelessly to raise critical funds, steer the Intonation staff, and implement innovative programs to advocate for the Intonation community, families, and students, bringing the power and joy of music to hundreds of young people each year. And, as a lover of dance music, Tonya is deeply connected to the house music scene in Chicago, and you can often find her moving and shaking on a dance floor, close to the DJ and near the speakers!